Written Answers Wednesday 21 May 2008

Scottish Executive

Access for Disabled People

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11208 by Stewart Stevenson on 17 April 2008, whether the establishment of the equality impact assessment took place after the decision to dissolve the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland and, if so, why this was the case.

Stewart Stevenson: Further to my answer of 17 April 2008, the equality impact assessment currently being undertaken, has been established to examine the effect of the amalgamation of the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) with the Public Transport Users’ Committee for Scotland (PTUC), taking on board evidence from stakeholders as gathered in the recent consultation, to assess how the enlarged PTUC will best meet the interests of disabled travellers in the future.

  The decision to move to full incorporation of MACS with the PTUC was taken following a wide-ranging consultation seeking views from organisations representing disability and mobility interests carried out between December 2005 and March 2006. The requirement to undertake an equality impact assessment in relation to disability came into effect in December 2006.

Alcohol Misuse

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute occupied bed days in NHS Tayside were directly connected with alcohol-related conditions in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nicola Sturgeon: Table 1 provides the total length of stay of patients treated in acute hospitals in NHS Tayside for alcohol-related conditions in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07; the most recent years for which information is available. The 2006-07 figure is provisional and may be subject to further revision.

  Table 1: The total Length of Stay of Patients Treated in Acute Hospitals in NHS Tayside for Alcohol-Related Conditions: 2004-05 to 2006-07

  

Year
Total Length of Stay(days)


2004-05
14,530


2005-06
13,524


2006-07
17,263



  The figures in table 1 relate to those individuals who are treated as in-patients. They do not include individuals managed as out-patients.

Alcohol Misuse

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many GP consultations in NHS Tayside were directly connected with alcohol-related conditions in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nicola Sturgeon: It is not possible to provide estimates of the number of GP consultations in NHS Tayside directly connected with alcohol-related conditions. While Scotland-wide estimates are available, these are based on a small number of practice team information practices. The small number of practices involved precludes robust analysis at NHS board level.

Bute House

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had since May 2007 with the National Trust for Scotland regarding Bute House.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned any architects since May 2007 to examine the long-term future of Bute House and, if so, what the costs to date have been of such commissions.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish plans for any major redevelopment or refurbishment of Bute House.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what thought and priority it has given to the conservation of Bute House.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government is clear that a long-term strategy is required for the management and conservation of Bute House and confirms that it will publish plans for any major redevelopment or refurbishment once these have been established. Decisions will be taken in due course supported by work commissioned under the previous administration; no architectural work on the long-term development of the building has been commissioned since May 2007. There have been no detailed discussions on Bute House with the National Trust for Scotland since May 2007 but discussions are likely in the near future.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the North Sea Commission on the prevention of flooding and developing policy to manage coastal erosion.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the North Sea Commission on this matter.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new developments it has initiated in the last year to protect Scotland against flood risks.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has requested the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to extend its current flood warning service by the introduction of an active flood warning dissemination programme, similar to the system which has been in operation for a number of years in England and Wales through the Environment Agency. This will introduce a service where registered members of the public and partner organisations will be contacted directly via a range of media. SEPA has furthermore been given by the Scottish Government £1.046 million over a three year period to provide a three hour minimum lead time to deliver flood warning to the catchment of the Rivers Dee, Don, Deveron and North Esk in North East Scotland.

  The Scottish Government has also consulted on proposals to establish a new framework for the implementation of sustainable flood risk management in Scotland, and will be introducing a flooding Bill later this year. It has also just announced the opening of the Scotland Rural Development Programme which includes support for a number of natural flood management measures, and is working with the National Flood Forum to establish a presence in Scotland. The forum will work with SEPA to engage with communities to raise awareness of flooding.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure from its budget will directly support research aimed at preventing coastal erosion.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is providing £200,000 to Western Isles Council for research in the hydrodynamics of the South Ford area in South Uist, and in addition is supporting Angus Council with £70,000 to consider intervention strategies seeking to slow the rate of erosion at Montrose Beach. This research will help in the understanding of coastal processes and assist in developing longer term and strategic approaches to coastal flooding and erosion in Scotland.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to ensure that it is fully equipped to deal with any flood emergency in the event of any major flood event.

Michael Russell: Contingency planning is primarily a matter for local responders, as defined under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, to whom the Scottish Government will provide appropriate support.

  After the flooding in parts of England during the summer of 2007, the Minister for Environment wrote out to each of the eight regional Strategic Co-ordinating Group (SCG) asking for confirmation that they were adequately prepared to respond to similar events, should they occur in Scotland. All SCGs indicated they had assessed the flooding risk in their area, and had undertaken planning for such eventualities.In January 2008, a further self-evaluation was commissioned by the Scottish Government from SCGs in relation to their planning for a wider set of extreme weather events that might arise as a result of climate change, including coastal and inland flooding. Responses are currently being collated and evaluated by the Scottish Government.

  In addition, an exercise built around an extreme weather scenario is planned for the first quarter of 2009, and is designed to evaluate responders capabilities to deal with resulting challenges.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what coastal sites have been designated as being at a high risk of flooding.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency indicative flood maps show land which is at high risk of coastal flooding (where risk is equal to or greater than 0.5% annual probability) or might become so with climate change. These maps are available at:  http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/mapping/index.htm.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescales and cost have been of repairing sites where coastal erosion has taken place in each of the last five years.

Michael Russell: Coast protection schemes have been carried out at the following sites in the last five years:

  

Site
Starting Year of Scheme
Finishing Year of Scheme
Cost£


Carnoustie
2003
2004
 1,047,028.00 


Wick
2004
2005
 2,931,951.83


Stonehaven Bay
2006
2006
 322,759.46


Aberdeen Bay
2006
2006
 2,257,525.53

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce and distribute a flood guide booklet to homes and businesses in those areas at high risk of flooding.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) provides advice to the public on flood risk as part of its Floodline campaign, which is available online at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/publications/leaflets/flood/index.htm .

  The publications on this website have been distributed to businesses and homes in flood risk areas through a variety of outlets including the SEPA mobile exhibition trailer, local libraries, community centres, post offices and leisure centres, as well as targeted distribution by mail. A business specific publication is being developed for the 2008 campaign.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce and publish a flood guide online.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has published online guidance on flooding available to the public at http://www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/index.htm . Local authorities produce flood-specific information relevant to their local area at their discretion.

Coastal Protection

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research to estimate the impact of climate change in relation to coastal inundation and erosion to the year 2050.

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has published its research reports on Climate Change: Flooding Occurrences Review (2002), available at:  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/156664/0042098.pdf .Climate Change: Review of Levels of Protection Offered by Flood Prevention Schemes UKCIP02 update (2003) at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18789/32059 .

Energy

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11338 by Jim Mather on 23 April 2008, when a Scottish minister last attended a meeting of the UK Government Coal Forum.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11338 by Jim Mather on 23 April 2008, how many meetings of the UK Government Coal Forum have been attended by Scottish ministers since May 2007.

Jim Mather: Scottish ministers have not attended any meetings of the UK Coal Forum since it was established. However, Scottish Government officials regularly attend the meetings and update ministers on any matters of interest.

  I met recently with key stakeholders in the Coal Industry Society and the Scottish Resources Group, and plan to hold a consultation session with the coal industry.

First Minister

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-10424 by John Swinney on 11 March 2008, what plans the First Minister has to use public transport more frequently.

John Swinney: For security reasons, it is not possible to provide information on the First Minister’s future travel arrangements. However, the First Minister has used public transport and has walked to and from events in recent months and plans to do so in future, when appropriate opportunities present themselves. He will continue to make travel choices based on the nature of his diary, the location of engagements, security considerations and what business needs to be conducted while travelling.

Homecoming Scotland

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11976 by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008, when it will be in a position to indicate which local rural communities will benefit from the European Regional Development Fund Programme funding allocated to VisitScotland.

Jim Mather: The Homecoming Scotland 2009 application submitted by VisitScotland to the Lowland and Uplands Scotland European Structural Funds Programme covers all of the designated rural areas under Priority 4 with the exception of Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, as these are to be treated separately. It is expected that all rural areas identified within the application will benefit from the delivery of the national homecoming project overall.

Homecoming Scotland

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11976 by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008, what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the European Regional Development Fund Programme funding allocated to VisitScotland will be spent effectively.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government in partnership with Esep Ltd who are responsible for administering application rounds and post approval monitoring, will fully comply with European Commission Regulation Article 60(b) No 1083/2006. This covers the need for "verifying that the co-financed products and services are delivered and that the expenditure declared by the beneficiaries for operations has actually been incurred and complies with Community and National Rules". This will involve a number of controls including verification of supporting documents before claims for re-imbursement are made and, are also likely to involve on the spot monitoring of project progress and financial checks. This control environment will apply to all project sponsors including VisitScotland.

Homecoming Scotland

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11976 by Jim Mather on 1 May 2008, when details will be available on how the European Regional Development Fund Programme funding allocated to VisitScotland will be spent.

Jim Mather: Discussions are still on-going to finalise technical details relating to the Homecoming Scotland 2009 application submitted to the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland programme. VisitScotland expect to finalise these details in the next few months.

Housing

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much finance will be made available to Dundee City Council from 2008 to 2011 to build council houses.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be allocated to Angus Council to build council houses in each year from 2008 to 2011.

Stewart Maxwell: In April, the Scottish Government announced £25 million of government funding over the next three years to kick start a new generation of council house building. We will work with our partners in local government to decide how best to allocate the money to ensure it has maximum impact, where needed, on the supply of new council housing in Scotland.

Inter-Governmental Links

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) discussions the Permanent Secretary has had with the UK Cabinet, (b) representations have been made to the UK Government and (c) plans it has to report to the Parliament in respect of devolution of the civil service.

John Swinney: Discussions with the UK Cabinet, on any issue, would be a matter for the Head of the Home Civil Service, not the Permanent Secretary. The Permanent Secretary has discussed the question of the devolution of the civil service with the Head of the Home Civil Service, senior colleagues in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) and the Trade Unions, in line with the manifesto commitment to seek early discussions on the creation of a devolved civil service along the lines of the NICS model. There are no current plans to report to the Parliament.

Justice

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign nationals were sentenced to imprisonment of 12 months or more in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of foreign nationals sentenced to more than 12 months from 2003.

  

Year
Sentenced to >12 Months


2003
19


2004
54


2005
27


2006
55


2007
85


2008
28

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8959 by Kenny MacAskill on 4 February 2008, how the Scottish courts are able to establish whether custody limits are exceeded if this information is not held.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8959 by Kenny MacAskill on 4 February 2008, whether the Scottish Court Service monitors cases to establish whether the custody time limit has been exceeded.

Kenny MacAskill: Question S3W-8959 related to the 140 day custody limit which operates in High Court cases.

  The Scottish courts are able to establish whether custody limits are exceeded in cases where an application is submitted by the Crown to extend that time limit.

  In terms of section 65 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 as amended, where there is a risk that the time limit will be exceeded, an accused may be admitted to bail by the Lord Advocate and liberated from custody, or arrangements made to bring the accused before the court in order that an application to extend the time limit beyond 140 days may be considered.

  The Scottish Court Service only collects information on the number of those cases where the Crown has applied to the court to be able to retain the accused person in custody beyond 140 days. In 2007 the High Court granted 487 applications to extend the 140 day custody time limit in relation to an accused.

NHS Hospitals

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many attendances there were at accident and emergency units in NHS Tayside in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of attendances at accident and emergency units in NHS Tayside is available from the ISD website at:  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Annual_trends_in_outpatient_activity_hbtnum_Feb2008.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment .

  Figures for accident and emergency attendances in NHS Tayside (years ending 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2006) are low due to incomplete data.

NHS Hospitals

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with respect to the development of the injury dataset under the National Clinical Dataset Development Programme, what plans there are to instruct accident and emergency (A&E) departments to start collecting this information via the nationally procured A&E Emergency Department Information System and when the first data will become available.

Nicola Sturgeon: Now that a dataset to support injury surveillance has been agreed and the A&E (EDIS) IT system has the ability to collect this information, consideration is currently being given to national implementation. NHS Forth Valley and Greater Glasgow and Clyde are already collecting some injury information.

NHS Staff

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many attacks there have been on hospital staff in each year since 1997, also broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital in (i) NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and (ii) NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Executive does not hold information centrally on attacks on NHS staff.

  We do know that violence against staff is a major concern. The 2006 NHS Staff Survey reports that 28% of respondents have personally experienced a violent or aggressive incident. Paramedics and nurses are the most likely staff groups to experience an incident.

  The Occupational Health and Safety Services Policy Advisory Group is in the process of establishing a sub-group to look specifically at reviewing the occupational health and safety minimum dataset, which will consider, as part of its remit, appropriate statistical data collection on violent assaults on staff.

National Conversation

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its understanding is of the difference between an independent Scotland and a Scotland separate from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Nicola Sturgeon: Choosing Scotland’s Future  sets out the Scottish Government’s view that on independence, the current parliamentary and political union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland would become a monarchical and social union, united kingdoms rather than a United Kingdom, maintaining the relationship first forged in 1603 by the Union of the Crowns and that both nations would be equal members of the European Union and thus partners in, among other things, the single market. This proposed relationship between the nations of these isles will better reflect the needs and realities of Scotland in the 21st century.

  The white paper explains that within this relationship, a broad range of cultural, social, and policy initiatives would continue and it is likely that both an independent Scotland and the remainder of the United Kingdom would seek to maintain a series of cross-border partnerships and services, much in the same way as the current British-Irish Council or indeed the Nordic Council. A Scotland separate from the United Kingdom would in contrast not involve any of these positive and appropriate partnerships between equal and independent nation states.

National Health Service

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many out-patient attendances, excluding psychiatric, obstetric and learning disability categories, there were in NHS Tayside in each of the last two years for which information is available.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of out-patient attendances in NHS Tayside is available from the ISD website at:  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Annual_trends_in_outpatient_activity_hbtnum_Feb2008.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment .

Oil and Gas Industry

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how its Government Economic Strategy will take into account the impact of peak oil.

Jim Mather: On a global level, there has been considerable debate about whether peak oil has occurred. In any event, significant reserves remain in the North Sea and the Scottish oil and gas industry, which is of enormous economic importance to Scotland, will remain a vital sector of our economy for decades to come.

  The Government Economic Strategy (GES) sets out how the government intends to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. While the strategy will continue to evolve as economic conditions change, the strategy identifies the Scottish oil and gas industry as one of significant economic importance to Scotland. The strategy also sets out the desired characteristics of growth - one of which is sustainability - and sets challenging emissions targets. The GES identifies the energy sector (with a particular focus on renewables) as a key sector which has an important part to play not only in contributing to Scotland’s wealth but also in developing an energy supply that is diverse and sustainable and which supports the transition to a low carbon economy.

Oil and Gas Industry

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessments it has made of (a) Scotland’s and (b) global oil supplies.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has made no specific assessments of Scottish or global oil supplies. However, we regularly monitor world energy markets, including future estimates of oil reserves prepared by the industry, international agencies, and the UK Government, to assess future security of supply. These estimates indicate that there will be sufficient supply in both the North Sea and globally over the next few decades to enable Scotland and the rest of the world to make the transition to a low carbon energy supply.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, when in December 2007 government planning officials learned that the Laurel Grant Ltd application was to be considered by the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Michael Russell: Government planning officials, through their routine planning liaison responsibilities, received in early December, the agenda for the Cairngorms National Park Authority’s meeting on 14 December. This referred to a number of proposed development applications, including the Laurel Grant proposal, which were to be discussed at the meeting.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, which government planning officials knew of the Laurel Grant Ltd application, scheduled to be heard by the Cairngorms National Park Authority on the 11 January 2008, as part of their territorial liaison responsibilities.

Michael Russell: The planning officials were John McNairney and Steve Dowell.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, what advice or information was received by government planning officials, as part of their territorial liaison responsibilities, from the Cairngorms National Park Authority in relation to their handling of the Laurel Grant Ltd application and it’s integration within the Aviemore Highland Resort and when they received it.

Michael Russell: The information received from the Park Authority, which was not specific to the Laurel Grant application, was the relevant agenda and supporting papers for the planning committee of 14 December. No advice was received or given and at the time no representation or concerns had been raised with the Scottish Government in respect of the application.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, what advice or information government planning officials imparted to the Cairngorms National Park Authority on learning of the Laurel Grant Ltd application and its prospective integration within the Aviemore Highland Resort.

Michael Russell: No information or advice was sought or given.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, what advice or information government planning officials imparted to ministers on first learning of the Laurel Grant Ltd application, as part of their territorial planning responsibilities.

Michael Russell: No advice was provided to ministers, there having been no representation or concerns raised with the Scottish Government on the issue.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, what advice or information was given to ministers by government planning officials, as part of their territorial planning responsibilities on receipt of Laurel Grant Ltd’s letter to ministers on 5 February 2008.

Michael Russell: The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism received background briefing for the meeting on 21 February with representatives from Laurel Grant Ltd.

Planning

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11249 by Michael Russell on 22 April 2008, on what occasions ministers discussed the Laurel Grant Ltd planning application.

Michael Russell: Ministers have not discussed the Laurel Grant planning application. Determination of the application was a matter for the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Prison Service

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign nationals were released from Scottish prisons in each of the last five years.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of foreign national prisoners who have been released from the SPS from 2003:

  

Year
Individuals Released


2003 Count
273


2004 Count
254


2005 Count
262


2006 Count
598


2007 Count
828


2008 Count
338

Prison Service

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign nationals were sentenced to imprisonment in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of foreign nationals who have been admitted to the SPS since 2003.

  

Year
All Admissions Foreign Nationals


2003
257


2004
225


2005
250


2006
615


2007
803


2008
384

Prison Service

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign national prisoners were transferred from Scotland to serve their sentences in their home countries in the last year for which information is available.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  One foreign national prisoner was transferred to serve a sentence abroad in 2007.

  Repatriation of prisoners at the end of their sentence is a matter for the Home Office.

Prison Service

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when work on a new prison to replace HM Prison Peterhead will be commissioned.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Full details of the proposed prison development programme and sources of funding are available in the Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Investment Plan 2008.

  Work is underway to prepare for the commencement of the procurement process for HM Prison Grampian, to replace HM Prison Aberdeen and HM Prison Peterhead, which will require planning permission and possibly the acquisition of a suitable site.

Prison Service

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many women prisoners have children under (a) 16 and (b) five years old.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not recorded centrally.

Public Private Partnerships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of revenue support grant it has provided for the Aberdeen 3Rs school project.

Maureen Watt: Scottish Government revenue support for the Aberdeen 3Rs schools project will average £5.72 million per year for the 30 year duration of the PPP contract.

Public Private Partnerships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of revenue support grant it has provided for the Falkirk PPP/NPDO schools project.

Maureen Watt: Scottish Government revenue support for the Falkirk schools project will average £5 million per year for the 30 year duration of the PPP contract.

Public Private Partnerships

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what elements of the revenue support grants approach for the Aberdeen and Falkirk PPP/NPDO schools projects will be made available for other PPP/NPDO projects.

Maureen Watt: Not all PPP/NPDO projects are identical. The revenue support element offered for the Aberdeen and Falkirk PPP/NPDO schools projects is specific to those projects. There is no general Scottish Government fund for PPP/NPDO projects.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the appointment of the new convenor of the Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland, now Passengers’ View Scotland, was decided.

Stewart Stevenson: This was a ministerial decision made in accordance with guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met with representatives of Passenger Focus.

Stewart Stevenson: I last met with representatives of Passenger Focus on Wednesday 14 May 2008.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all guidance given to the Scottish appointee member of Passenger Focus.

Stewart Stevenson: The information the member has requested is given in Terms and Conditions for Appointment to the Board of the Rail Passengers Council  a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45603).

  In addition, the news release issued on 19 July 2005 at the time of the Scottish appointment to Passenger Focus reflects the terms and conditions of the appointment and the guidance therein.

Public Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland was expected to play in representing the interests of ferry passengers and whether Passengers’ View Scotland will continue to play a role in that regard.

Stewart Stevenson: It is open to the Public Transport Users Committee for Scotland, which operates under the name of Passengers’ View Scotland, to consider the interests of ferry passengers within the context of its remit.

Public Transport

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) drivers and other staff and (b) passengers have been attacked on Lothian Buses in each year since 1999.

Stewart Stevenson: Information on the numbers of (a) drivers and other staff and (b) passengers prior to 2002 is not available. The information for 2002 onwards is outlined in the following table.

  

Year
Number of Driver and Other Staff Assaults
Number of Passenger Assaults


2002
96
14


2003
92
35


2004
90
22


2005
73
26


2006
91
39


2007
91
39



  Source: Lothian Buses plc.

Rail Network

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish full details of the additional services contained in the three-year extension to the ScotRail franchise.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is given in the ScotRail Franchise Amendment Agreement , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45544).

Rail Network

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to access additional rolling stock potentially available elsewhere on the UK rail network to meet short-term capacity issues on the ScotRail network

Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is committed to considering any opportunities which may arise that will support the delivery of enhanced, value for money rail services.

  It plans to access the existing UK rolling stock market to support the delivery of the short-term service enhancement proposals as outlined in the Franchise Extension Amendment Agreement.

  This agreement is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45544).

Rail Network

Alex Johnstone (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to upgrade the infrastructure on the Aberdeen to Edinburgh rail line.

Stewart Stevenson: The High Level Output Specification (HLOS) asks Network Rail to develop a credible plan for providing further journey time improvements between the Central Belt and Aberdeen, through infrastructure enhancements, under the Tier 3 outputs. Investment for this project will be determined by affordability and the availability of further financial resources.

  The longer term needs of Scotland’s nationally strategic transport corridors are being considered through the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR).

Rail Network

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are required from the ScotRail franchise to benefit disabled people.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is given in the ScotRail Franchise Agreement , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37777).

Rail Network

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will decide which of the 28 priced options in the ScotRail franchise amendment agreement will be pursued.

Stewart Stevenson: The priced options contained within the ScotRail Franchise Amendment Agreement include a number which support the key aims of Scotland’s Railways . Some of these priced options have already been, or are about to be, implemented. Ministers will determine, after appropriate consultation, will determine how the remainder of the options can best be delivered.

Rail Network

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who will pay for any additional rolling stock required as a consequence of the extension of the ScotRail franchise and to whom the rolling stock will belong.

Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is given in the ScotRail Franchise Amendment Agreement , a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45544).

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the ScotRail franchise amendment agreement, whether further consultation with stakeholders will influence amendments to service level commitments and whether it will publish the list of stakeholders with which it will consult.

Stewart Stevenson: The service level commitments contained within the ScotRail franchise agreement were not affected by the decision to extend. We will consult on specific enhancements in the amendment agreement.

  In line with the undertakings given to the Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee, I will provide a copy list of the stakeholders with whom we will consult to the committee. I will also arrange for copies to be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre in due course (Bib. number 45652).

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the ScotRail franchise amendment agreement, how decisions will be made regarding the allocation of the Stations Community Regeneration Fund.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11793 on 1 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £70 million identified as additional investment in the ScotRail franchise amendment agreement, effectively reduces the public subsidy to rail services.

Stewart Stevenson: As stated in the amendment agreement, the £70 million secured through the ScotRail franchise extension can be used either to reduce subsidy payments or to pay for further initiatives.

Rail Network

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all additional income from increased revenue on rail services, identified in the ScotRail franchise amendment agreement, will be invested in rail services.

Stewart Stevenson: The £70 million secured from First ScotRail under the amended franchise agreement will be invested in rail services in Scotland. Any additional revenue, such as from profit share, will likewise be invested in rail services.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for administering the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund; what its purpose is, and what criteria have been set for applications to the fund.

Jim Mather: Responsibility for administering the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund rests with the Scottish Enterprise energy team. Its purpose is to encourage and incentivise the collaboration of marine renewable developers with, for example, oil and gas engineering companies, and to access advice to address specific technical issues which will reduce costs and/or increase efficiency and performance.

  Funding is a non-refundable grant contribution up to 50% of eligible costs for small and medium-sized enterprises, at a maximum of £100,000 per project. The fund has been allocated on a competitive basis, with applications assessed against the following criteria – potential economic development impact, additionality, technical advancement and a thorough appraisal of the applicant.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts have been made to raise awareness in the marine renewables sector and elsewhere of the existence of the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund.

Jim Mather: The fund was promoted initially through mail-shot activities to companies known to Scottish Enterprise, and through industry bodies such as Scottish Renewables, the Industrial and Power Association and Subsea UK. The fund has also been announced at various industry events.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall budget for the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund is and how much money has been spent under the fund in each year since establishment.

Jim Mather: There has been no precise limit on the fund. Instead, the sums allocated have been limited by the number of applications, as well as the limits imposed by the wider Scottish Enterprise energy team budget for each year. Around £250,000 has been awarded since the fund’s launch in June 2007.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which projects have received funding from the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund and for what purpose.

Jim Mather: Since the fund’s initial launch by Scottish Enterprise in June 2007, funding support worth £250,000 has been committed to the following four projects:

  Scotrenewables (Orkney)AWS (Alness)Green Cat Energy (Lanarkshire)Subsea Energy Scotland (Fife).

  The fund’s purpose is to incentivise the collaboration of marine renewable developers with, for example, oil and gas engineering companies, and to access advice to address specific technical issues which will reduce costs and/or increase efficiency and performance.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Marine Energy Collaboration Fund and whether it is considering a review of the fund and, if so, what form such a review will take.

Jim Mather: A full evaluation has not yet been conducted, as two projects are still in progress and one completed just last month. Signs to date indicate that the funding has been a reasonable success in supporting the marine sector and encouraging collaboration across sectors but more evidence is needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn.

  A review will take place later this year, the findings of which will inform the fund’s future.

Renewable Energy

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-11896 by Jim Mather on 30 April 2008, whether it has held any discussions with the Infringement Unit of the European Commission with regard to the Gordonbush planning application and, if so, what the nature was of such discussions; when the discussions took place; what opinion or advice was offered by Commission officials on the application, and whether it will release any notes or minutes of the discussions.

Jim Mather: Scottish Government officials met Commission officials in November 2007, when discussions took place on the requirement to comply with EU directives and carry out appropriate assessments of the designated sites potentially affected by the Gordonbush wind farm application.

  Consequently, officials agreed to provide the Commission with the determination documents and the appropriate assessments on the designated sites, once Scottish ministers had made a decision.The Gordonbush application was granted consent 9 April 2008. The decision letter, consent and appropriate assessments are available on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents.

  The record of the meeting with the EU Commission is confidential and will not be released by the Scottish Government against the possibility that this may compromise any future discussion with the commission on the Gordonbush case.

Schools

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what dialogue it has had with Aberdeen City Council over its school closure programme.

Maureen Watt: The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and I agreed to meet with elected representatives and officials of Aberdeen City Council on 16 January 2008. The agenda for the meeting, which was set by the council, included a range of education items. During the course of the meeting the council explained the stage it had reached in the process of reviewing its school estate.

Sport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to support mixing work with sport and exercise.

Stewart Maxwell: Over the next three years physical activity funding will be concentrated in four key settings including workplaces. The Scottish Government is specifically providing £780,000 to the Scottish Centre for Working Lives to support local companies to deliver quality physical activity programmes as part of the Healthy Working Lives award and £120,000 to funding the National Institute of Sport Parks and Leisure accreditation programme. In addition, a range of other physical activity programmes will be supporting workplace-based activities, for example Paths to Health and Jogscotland.

Sport

Jim Tolson (Dunfermline West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with (a) trade union leaders and (b) representatives of industry on how employees can be involved in high-level sport through their work and, if so, when such discussions took place.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has not had any discussions with trade union leaders or representatives of industry on how employees can be involved in high-level sport through their work.

  However, the Scottish Institute of Sport, the high-performance delivery arm of sportscotland, and the institute network have a dedicated team of performance lifestyle advisers who are able to assist athletes negotiate with employers where appropriate or applicable.

Teachers

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many places each local authority has been asked to provide for newly qualified teachers entering the Teaching Induction Scheme in 2008, broken down by (a) primary and (b) secondary sector.

Maureen Watt: Local authorities were invited to submit a proforma identifying "all posts suitable for probationers on the scheme". There was no absolute requirement on local authorities to offer specific numbers of places. The numbers of places offered are provided, by local authority and by sector, in the answer to question S3W-12789 on 15 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Commission on Scottish Devolution

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a detailed account of the process used to select staff to service the Commission on Scottish Devolution, chaired by Sir Kenneth Calman.

Alex Fergusson: One member of staff has been assigned to the Commission on Scottish Devolution. The selection process involved the Chief Executive in identifying an official that had the appropriate skills and experience to support the commission’s secretariat. The member of staff concerned was then approached directly and offered the assignment.

Scottish Parliament Building

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will mark International Day Against Homophobia on 17 May 2008 by flying a rainbow flag from the Parliament building.

Tricia Marwick: : The request does not fall within the scope of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s agreed policy on flag flying. The Parliament routinely flies the Saltire, Union and European Union flags on a daily basis. In addition, the Parliament flies the United Nations and Commonwealth flags on United Nations Day (24 October) and Commonwealth Day (2nd Monday in March) respectively. Outwith these dates, the Parliament will also fly the relevant country flags for a visiting head of state and, on occasions, for a visiting Prime Minister or parliamentary speaker.